UP: IMC members booked for violating Section 144 during protest against Nupur Sharma

A case has been booked against the members of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council IMC for violation of Section 144 during a protest held to demand arrest of Nupur Sharma, a senior police officer said on Monday.Sharma, a former spokesperson of BJP, has been in the eye of the storm since she made a remark against Prophet Mohammad during a TV debate.

A case has been booked against the members of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) for violation of Section 144 during a protest held to demand arrest of Nupur Sharma, a senior police officer said on Monday.

Sharma, a former spokesperson of BJP, has been in the eye of the storm since she made a remark against Prophet Mohammad during a TV debate. The case was registered on Sunday against the organisers of the protest held on the call of IMC Chief Maulana Tauqir Raza, police said. The case was lodged against the organisers of the protest for allegedly allowing gathering of over 1,500 people. The authorities have limited the number of people to 1,500 who can gather at a spot in a public meeting or a protest. 'Yome Durooh' was organised on Sunday evening by Maulana Tauqir Raza Khan, National President of Ittehad Millat Council, in the grounds of Islamia College in the city. Bareilly Municipal Magistrate Rajiv Pandey on Monday said that according to estimates more than 10,000 people had gathered during the meet in violation of the Section 144. Two office bearers of the council, Mohd Farhat and Makhdoom Baig, had taken permission for the event and a case was registered against them under Section 188 of the IPC at Kotwali Police Station, police said. Khan said that the call for the event was earlier given on his behalf first for June 10 and then on June 17, but both being Fridays, it was organised on Sunday. Khan is an Indian politician and an Islamic cleric. He is a religious leader of the Barelvi sect of Sunni Muslims and the founder of the political party Ittehad-e-Millat Council.

Strict arrangements were made by the administration for this programme, Khan said.

He said it had been conveyed to the people that only 1,500 were allowed, and that excess people might have gathered from adjoining areas.

He stressed that there were not more than 1,500 people on the Council platform.

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